Cosgrove retires from inter-county football
Twelve years after he first broke into the Dublin senior football panel, Ray Cosgrove has confirmed that his inter-county career is over.
Cosgrove, 31, has grown frustrated with his form in recent seasons which has led to a lack of opportunities under current Dublin manager Paul Caffrey.
The Kilmacud Crokes forward made his championship debut for Dublin in 1999 and will be most remembered for his scoring exploits in the 2002 championship when he tallied up 6-23.
Maintaining that prolific form proved a struggle for Cosgrove in recent seasons and with Jason Sherlock holding his own and the emergence of the Brogan brothers, Conal Keaney and Mark Vaughan, he was reduced to bench duty.
Explaining his decision to bow out, the former All-Star said: "I made the call myself. I felt I had to be realistic. All good things come to an end.
"Obviously, I would like to have ended my career on a high but it wasn't to be.
"I have two young children now and the commitment at senior inter-county level is so huge."
Cosgrove insisted he had 'no regrets' about finishing up with the Dubs, with whom he won four Leinster SFC winners' medals in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
His last appearance for the capital side came as a substitute in their recent NFL Division 2 final defeat to Westmeath.
